


weddings for demons

by wilsonsnest



Series: food for demons [7]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Demigods, Demons, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Weddings, Witches, a demon tries to figure out how humans process emotion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 00:57:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17131991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wilsonsnest/pseuds/wilsonsnest
Summary: “As always, you greatly overestimate how invested I am in your personal life.” Seth said with a sigh. “I’ll consider it.”Theres a wedding reception, a confrontation that doesn't happen and a story that finally gets told.





	weddings for demons

**Author's Note:**

> Getting this up for Christmas time as an early treat! Remember when I said this wouldn't get angsty? Well, uh.... I hope you enjoy!!

Finn could see Seth staring enviously at his huge serving of apple strudel while picking at his extremely wet chicken salad sandwich. The demon just grinned, taking another bite and letting out an exaggerated moan as the pastry and apple melted into his mouth. Teasing Seth was fun, the other man was absolutely awful at maintaining a neutral demeanor - exemplified by him stabbing his sandwich with a fork and snatching up a bag of chips.

Finn stifled a laugh, and swallowed his food, closing up the container to save for later. Eventually, he would have to take Seth over to Lea Roma. The other man didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, but Finn was sure Roman could find something to suit even his particular tastes.

“Did you get an invitation to Aleister’s wedding?” Seth asked, nibbling at the edge of a chip.

“Of course I did.” Finn gave Seth a questioning look. “I am the King. I get invited to everyone’s wedding.”

Seth grumbled something under his breath, stuffing some chips into his mouth and glaring at his companion. “Do you have a date?”

Finn smiled at the question, sitting up a little straighter. “I do actually.” Suddenly his eyebrows rose. “Wait, were you going to ask me?”

“No!” Seth exclaimed and promptly squeezed the bag between his two palms. His face began to turn a spectacular shade of pink at his eyes darted around to the other students and faculty around the commons. “I probably won’t even go. I’m sure he just did it to thank me for helping him a few courtship rites.”

Finn nodded sagely, deciding he wouldn’t push that particular button. There was quite a bit of time after Finn had saved Seth that they had gotten very close. Though his intention had never been to have any sort of relationship with Seth, they had ended up taking physical comfort with one another more than once. When Seth started his academic pursuits, that part of their relationship had fizzled out and they never really mentioned it again.

Finn hadn’t a clue how Seth truly felt for him. He seemed to annoy the witch more than anything, but at the same time he would often text Finn just to see how he was. Things that normal friends did. He considered that it might be why he was slightly hesitant about telling the other man about Roman.

“I imagine if you mess up with a Demi-God, you don’t get many second chances.” Finn mused. “You should go. I’m sure both Aleister and The Dream would appreciate it.”

Seth just snorted and waved his hand noncommittally.

“If you go, you’ll get a chance to meet my boyfriend.” There, he said it. He tried not make it obvious he was gauging Seth’s reaction.

“You’re dating?” Seth sounded legitimately surprised. “Also, why would you think I want to meet your boyfriend? I’m pretty sure anyone you are dating will give me just as much of a headache as you do.”

Finn couldn’t help but feel relieved. Seth didn’t seem defensive or weird about it, just his normal grumpy self. The funny thing was, Finn was pretty sure Roman and Seth would actually get along really well.

“You aren’t the tiny bit curious about who caught The Demon King’s attention?” Finn teased gently.

“As always, you greatly overestimate how invested I am in your personal life.” Seth said with a sigh. “I’ll consider it.”

0 0 0 0 0

“You’re sure they won’t mind us bringing Echo?” Roman asked for the third time, looking down at the puppy who had grown quite a bit since Finn had brought him to Roman. He was laying at their feet, chewing on a rope toy that Dean had sent him. His size, combined with his young age meant he could be quite a handful and the last thing Roman wanted to do was ruin the wedding of two of his most loyal customers.

“He’s your familiar, they won’t mind in the slightest.” Finn reassured him.

He reached up to adjust Roman’s tie. Humming lightly, traced a finger down Roman’s freshly groomed beard. His boyfriend was looking particularly polished today. His hair was in a neat bun and he was wearing a new navy blue suit that Finn had bought him. If Roman was concede to wearing hair adornments, it would be absolutely perfect. Alas, he had shot down Finn’s last attempt at a gorgeous blue orchid hair pin.

“He’s still a baby.” He glanced down at the hellhound pup who was still engrossed his his toy. Then he sighed, and shook his head. “No, you’re right. I’ll feel better if he’s with us anyway.”

“Nervous?” Finn asked quietly.

“A little bit.” Roman admitted. “Demonic weddings just seem like a Big Deal.”

“Eh, its not really in fashion.” Finn said with a shrug. “It only became a thing when we started taking human mates. To be honest, I think The Dream just likes the idea of an entire party dedicated to him being in love.”

“He is a Demi-God.” Roman reminded Finn.

“True.” Finn checked his phone and let out a huff. He took Roman’s arm gently. “Alright, let’s not be late. Ready?“

“Let’s go.”

0 0 0 0 0

  
As Finn had correctly anticipated, the wedding was more of an expensive, very clean-cut party where everyone had assigned seats. The big room was decked out in purple and black, which would have looked dreary if it weren’t glinting off the huge chandeliers and delicate table placements all outfitted with an obnoxious amount of crystals.

Velveteen Dream was already out and about, talking with guests and looked quite pleased with himself. His purple and gold tuxedo has the most interesting paisley print Finn had ever seen. It certainly made him stand out even in a crowd of very well-dressed people.

As soon as they arrived, Dream spotted them almost immediately. He finished off the conversation he was having with a bow and immediately made his way over to them, beckoning a waiter carrying a tray of hor d’oeuvress.

“The Dream always appreciates a couple who can make a fashionably late but not too late entrance.” He smiled at them, a mixture of warmth and amusement. “Everyone’s in love with the appetizers, Roman. I’m going to guarantee that you’ll be seeing a significant increase in business.”

Roman ducked his head a little, getting adorable shy in the face of such praise. Finn squeezed his arm lightly, only half listening as his boyfriend and the demi-god conversed. He scanned the room, recognizing many familiar faces of the Underworld, and some others not as familiar. Other demi-gods, fae and the like. Specifically, he was looking to see if - ah, there he was.

Standing awkwardly by the bar, and looking very much like he’d like to be anywhere else. Seth looked rather nice, if boring, in his black suit. His hair was back in a ponytail and he had his glasses on, his bonafide attempt at seeing unapproachable. He supposed there were a good amount of people who would have known about his “history” here.

“I’ll be right back, love.” Finn said to Roman, patting his arm. His boyfriend looked at him slightly concerned, before being drawn back into the conversation with Dream. Echo, who was still engrossed with the toy he had brought along could only give him a passing glance before getting back to chewing.

He made his way over to Seth, smiling brightly in greeting. “There you are Professor Rollins.”

Seth glared at him, his narrowing behind his black-rimmed glasses. “I told you not to call me that.”

“And I’ve told you to stop wearing fashion glasses.” Finn raised an eyebrow. “But we can’t always get what we want.”

Seth heaved a sigh, muttering something under his breath that contained the word ‘insufferable’ before taking a sip of his drink. He grimaced a little bit, no doubt this was the strong, well, well, well-aged stuff if the grooms had anything to do with it.

“So,” Seth began. “Where is he?”

“Oh, and you told me you didn’t want to meet him, wasn’t that right?” Finn chortled, amused.

Seth gave him a pointed glare, and Finn just beamed, rocking onto his tippy-toes for a moment in absolute glee. He turned and gestured with his hand across the room to where The Dream had since beckoned over someone else to speak with Roman. His boyfriend seemed to be taking it all in stride, though he could tell from the way he was holding himself he was tense.

“That’s him, once the groom lets him go I can introduce you.” Finn explained. He felt quite chuffed with himself, as he waited for Seth’s response. It was only after a minute or so that Finn realized Seth hadn’t said anything, hadn’t even made a sound.

“Seth?” Finn turned and his eyebrows knitted together.

Seth was standing stock still, brown eyes wide as he stared across the room at Roman. His mouth was trembling, as though he were barely stopping himself from his jaw dropping. Finn looked back at Roman, and his boyfriend hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary, he was still just chatting. Turning back to Seth he frowned and reached out to touch the witch’s trembling hand.

“What’s wrong?” Finn asked quietly, not wanting to alarm any of the other guests. “Seth-“

Suddenly the glass slipped from Seth’s trembling fingers and fell to the ground with a resounding smash, pieces of glass and alcohol spread across the floor at Seth and Finn’s feet. Immediately everyone’s eyes were on them - including Roman’s.

Finn would never forget the look in his boyfriend’s eyes. A mixture of terror and pain that he had never seen before. Confusion washed over Finn in that moment, and through their tenuous connection he could feel the anxiety rolling off Roman in waves. And judging by the way Velveteen Dream was looking at him, so could the demi-god.

Echo had since dropped his chew-toy, and the pup was immediately on his feet hackles raised and looking around. He could probably feel Roman’s fear just as well, and was looking for the cause of his owner’s anxiety.

Finn turned to glance at Seth again, and as he did the witch disappeared in a three-ring cloud of smoke, leaving behind the mess he had made.

“Oh, really now?!” Velveteen Dream finally snapped and stormed over to where the witch had been standing. He cast a glance toward Finn. “Don’t just stand there, go get your man before he breaks something too.”

Shaken, Finn started toward Roman, but he was barely halfway across the room before he watched Roman lower a shaking hand cast out a three circle sigil onto the floor. Before Finn didn’t even have a chance to call out to him before he and Echo were gone. Everyone was staring and murmuring amongst themselves, confused by the odd distraction that seemed to happen with no inciting incident.

“Balor,” Aleister suddenly appeared from the crowd. Velveteen probably contacted him to let him know things had gone a bit haywire. “What just happened?”

“I have no idea.” Finn knew he sounded a little faint, but honestly his mind was a million miles away.

“Well it wouldn’t be our big day without a little drama.” Velveteen Dream joined them, as waiter quickly cleaned up the spill with simple magic. To be honest, the demi-god didn’t seem all that put out about anything. Though there was a slight crease in his forehead. “I’m going to recommend you go after them, though. Whatever happened between them,” Dream made a back and forth gesture with two fingers. “It was Messy.”

“Roman has a particularly strong aura. If something shook him, it must have been bad.” Aleister added.

“What he means to say is that we’re worried, and we’d rather you check on him then stick around for the party.” The Dream, took Aleister’s hand and patted it. “We’ll set up a date sometime.”

Finn nodded appreciatively, and realized they were right. Roman wasn’t easily shaken by much, and he had come to realize just how powerful his boyfriend was. Whatever past he and Seth might have had, must’ve been intense. Though the idea that they were connected without him knowing at all was still beyond him.

Nodding to the couple, he disappeared, heading straight for Roman’s apartment.

To his surprise, he found himself rebounded outside the walls of his boyfriend’s apartment, landing right in front of the door. He could feel the energy of the wards and shield’s that were usually passive, practically sizzling as they surrounded the place. Finn could break those barriers if he really wanted to, but it would require being in his demon form and the last thing he wanted to do was break into his boyfriend’s apartment as the demon king while he was upset.

Instead, he raised a hand and knocked on the door, hissing a little at the energy that snapped around his fist each time it hit the wood. There was no response, not even the slightest movement and it only worried Finn more. Desperate, he knocked again, calling out for Roman, trying to keep the demand out of his voice.

Let me in. Please, Roman, let me in.

Finn could have almost sobbed in relief as he watched the doorknob turn and the door opened, just wide enough so that Roman could look at him. By Roman’s feet, he could see Echo’s snout teeth a bared a little, soft little growls escaping him.

Roman looked wrecked. His hair was disheveled, as though he had been running his hands through it and even pulling it. His eyes were red, and watery like he might have bene crying. The man’s suit jacket was off, but it seemed like he had only started getting out of his dress shirt before giving up. His tie was still loosely around his neck, and for someone who had only been out of sight for maybe ten minutes at the most he looked like he’d been going through something for hours.

Finn wanted nothing more than to reach out in comfort him, but the way that Roman was holding himself told him it wouldn’t be a good idea. He looked so vulnerable, but closed off at the same time. There was no indication that he wanted Finn to come any closer, and Echo had definitely picked up on that.

“Roman, I just want to help.” Finn said quietly, placing a hand on the doorframe, needing something to hold onto. “Just… tell me what happened. I don’t understand—“

“Did you know?” Roman cut him off, his voice sounded rough. “Is this just some - some game that demon’s like to play? Or was this part of his deal?”

Finn’s eyebrows knitted together. “His deal? Roman, Seth is a friend. I haven’t made any deals with him.”

That wasn’t strictly true, but in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t a big deal and had nothing to do with Roman.

“I-I hadn’t even told him your name until tonight.” Finn explained. “Do you know him?”

Roman was looking at the floor now, and Finn could only guess if the witch was even still listening to him. The darkness emanating from Roman’s normally calm, and cool aura was exceptionally distressing. He waited, feeling his fingers begin to turn into claws as they sank into the wood of the doorframe.

Finally Roman glanced up at him, lips pressed tightly together in a frown before murmured. “I think you should go.”

Roman began to close the door and Finn stuck out his hand to stop him. He hissed at the sudden flair of energy as Echo let out a warning bark.

“Wait, please.” He never begged, but he was desperate.

“Finn - listen.” Roman seemed to gain a little composure. “I need time to think. It’s not you - it’s.. it’s not you. Please, just leave.”

Finn knew he had two choices. He could force his way in and risk losing Roman’s trust forever. Or wait and hope that Roman would come to him when he was ready. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Finn backed away from the door.

“If you need me, call.”

Roman nodded in response and slowly shut the door, the shields zipping back into place stronger than before. Part of Finn wanted to sit there, guard the door and wait until Roman came out. But he knew that wouldn’t be helping either of them. Turning, he got took out his cellphone and shot a quick text to Dean. He knew it might take the other man a while to get back to him, but he was hoping that he might have more insight into the situation.

While he was waiting, there was someone else he could visit who was sure to have some answers.

0 0 0 0 0

He had barely appeared in front of Seth’s apartment door when he started knocking. The confusion quickly giving way to anger as he continued knocking. Seth’s wards were up, but there were much more subtle than Roman’s had been. Finn was about thirty seconds from just barging in, when the door swung open to reveal Seth and Delta.

It was almost a like deja vu, as Seth looked absolutely devastated. His glasses were off, his eyes red-rimmed and welling with tears. His hair was half in his bun, and like Roman, it seemed he had made an attempt to get undressed before giving up.

Finn was frozen in place, unsure of what his next move was. He was so consumed with worry about Roman, he hadn’t considered what state Seth would be in. He heard Delta growling a little, as Seth finally looked him in the eye.

“Is this the part where you try and kill me?” Seth asked humorlessly.

Finn was careful to take note of the ‘try’ that Seth had added on. Noting that at least Seth’s sense of self-preservation was still in tact. To be honest, he wasn’t angry at Seth. He had no reason to be at the moment. The whole situation was just confusing, and Finn wasn’t even going to attempt to cast blame in a situation he knew nothing about.

“No, I just need answers.”

Seth nodded and beckoned him into the apartment. Finn followed behind, closing the door and following the other man to his living room. There were three blue candles lit on the coffee table, and what looked like a piece of paper in front of them. Seth took a seat on his couch, in front of the candles and bowed his head, Delta coming to sit beside him, looking oddly pensive for a dog.

Finn felt something odd in the air, through the anxiety and desperation that seemed to cloud around Seth. He followed after him to the couch, pausing for a moment to look the candles. His heart nearly leapt into his throat as he saw it was picture, three young men - familiar all of them - dressed in earmuffs and scarves, standing in front of a worn fence. Roman was in the center, he was looking down at some snow he had on his gloves. Seth was grinning at the camera, leaned in close on Roman’s left. And then there was Dean, nose bright red, head ducked a little, but a satisfied little grin on his face. They all looked so happy, so young, so different and yet the same as Finn knew them now.

The weight of the information he was learning seemed to make him sit down heavily. Unsuccessfully able to take his eyes off of the picture.

Seth finally raised his head, there were tear tracks down his cheeks, and he reached out for Delta. The dog easily butted its head underneath Seth’s hand, quickly comforting him as he trembled.

“I’m sorry, if I ruined anything.” Seth began quietly. “If I had known….”

“They never said anything about you.” Finn said. “Not Dean, not Roman.”

“Why would they?” Seth barked out a self-deprecating laugh. “After what I did to them… I would try to forget me too.”

Finn bit his lip, things still didn’t make any sense. He was going to need the whole story out of Seth, even if the other man wasn’t quite up to it. Quickly, he took out his phone to check his messages. One from Dean just a minute ago, a simple ‘got it’. Finn felt a little better knowing Roman was in Dean’s hands now.

“Just tell me the whole story.” Finn said. “Roman, can barely look me in the eye. His apartment is practically on lockdown. I need to know what happened.”

Seth took a shuddering deep breath, but nodded. He waved a hand on the candles, gathering some of the smoke in his hand. He held it up, palm first and smoke danced around, creating the intertwining three rings that Finn now recognized. He watched as the pattern became more intricate though, writing surrounded the circles and a wolf’s paw print appeared in the middle where they all intersected. It was a beautiful symbol, and Finn could tell how deep the magic that embodied it was.

“We were a Coven. A family.” Seth began, staring at the symbol floating above his palm wistfully. “Three stupid kids, who met one day and realized how strong we could be together. We made a living off of finding and collecting rewards off of stolen magical items. Family heirlooms, philosopher’s stones, the kind of items that are illegal but highly sought after on the black market. Roman and Dean never let it get to their heads, they were just happy we had food and a roof over our heads. But I wanted more.”

Finn was entranced by the symbol, trying to decipher the writing written there. It was a mix of magical languages, indicating that they had spent a lot of time trying to come up with it. This was a deep bond, one that it should have been nearly impossible to break. He remembered Roman off-handly telling him that he used to be involved in shady business, and that was why he had all the wards and protection spells and knives under his pillow. Shuttling dark magical items on the underground was extremely dangerous. Whether it was the items themselves or the people who were after them. It was hard to imagine that kind, neighborly baking witch Roman Reigns could have ever been involved in something that illegal.

“I didn’t want to just find things anymore. I thought we could make more money if I made them myself. I met with Hunter and he told me I would need to acquire more magic myself and he would provide me with demonic power in return. The thought of having all that power went to my head.” Seth paused and took a deep breath. “We had so much money, we were so comfortable. I thought… if I bound Roman and Dean’s magic to myself, they would still be okay. I could still keep them happy and safe and I could just take care of it myself. I was so selfish, but I convinced myself it was for their own good.”

Finn sucked in a deep breath, eyes wide as he listened to what the witch was saying. The idea that he would strip Dean and Roman of their magic. It was absolutely unthinkable. It was considered a barbaric practice, one that usually left the victim dead or in a persistent state of unconsciousness. It was a violation of the highest order, and severely punishable. Even if the perpetrator was caught, the outcome was often irreversible. The fact that Seth, who studied and knew the dangers of this sort of thing had even thought to try it.

“They stopped me, as I was performing the spell. Sierra, that was Roman’s familiar. She…she broke the conduit I was using and the energy it had been collecting exploded and she— “ Seth sucked in a harsh breath and Delta let out a low, mournful sound. “Roman tried to save her. And Dean… Dean just left. I ran, I couldn’t face what I had done. “

Seth closed his palm into a fist and smoke burst into flames before petering out into nothing. “Then they were gone. And then I had to face Hunter. And you know this part.”

Finn nodded. He had stumbled upon Seth’s case by accident, wanting to ask Hunter something fairly inane. He found him practically interrogating the terrified witch, and against his better judgement got involved. It was rather easy to bargain Seth’s soul off of Hunter, considering that in the end no actual services had been exchanged. Seth had asked him why he had done it, and at the time he remembered thinking that the other man just looked so pathetic he’d make a terribly depressing underling.

Knowing the truth of what had gotten Seth into that situation put him in an interesting position. In some respects, he suppose Seth would have deserved it because of the pain he had caused his family. On the other hand, he hadn’t actually succeeded in his plan. And he did seem legitimately torn up about the loss of Sierra and the rest of his Coven.

“Finn,” Seth’s voice was rough, and he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. “If Roman tells you to chose. You have to chose him.”

Finn’s eyebrows rose, and his spine straightened in surprise. He hadn’t even considered the possibility that Roman might ask that of him. He understood that Roman must feel betrayed on a fundamental level. But it was much harder for him to wrap his head around a continued grudge when everything seemed to have turned out fine. Roman seemed happy, Seth seemed happy, and even Dean - a little bit off that he was - seemed to be doing alright. If this had been a demonic issue it would have been swept under the rug and amends made over wine and a dinner show.

His lack of human understanding was once again getting the best of him in this situation. He had no idea what Roman was going to expect of him. Would he be upset that Finn had gone after Seth instead of staying? Would he demand Finn take retribution against Seth? He couldn’t see Roman being that vengeful, but then again he had never seen Roman so distraught ever.

“Seth, I won’t just cut you out because of something that happened years ago.” Finn said firmly. “You’ve more than paid your dues.”

“Not to them.” Seth said, shaking his head. “I do my best by my students, to lead them down the right path. But I’m too much a coward to try and make it up to them.” He sniffled a little bit before continuing. “Finn, if he thinks that you care about me just as much as him even after I hurt him so badly, he’ll never trust you.”

“But it has nothing to do with me.” Finn argued. “I would never use you to hurt him.”

“Finn, just you being around me would hurt him.” Seth said.

“How? We’ve been friends all this time and it’s never affected mine and Roman’s relationship in the slightest.”

“Because now he knows.” Seth tried to explain. “And each time your away from him he’ll be wondering if your spending it with me. It makes it seem like you don’t care that I hurt him.”

“Of course I care that he’s hurting, I just..” Finn let out a frustrated groan and rubbed at his temples. “You’re both fine people, I don’t see why this should still be an issue.”

“Finn,” Seth said gently. “It’s human nature. That’s all I can tell you, man.”

That answer wasn’t very satisfying, and if anything made Finn even more frustrated. He watched as Seth leaned over and gently blew out the candles, watching the smoke rise. There was a wistfulness in his eyes, and Finn hated the idea that Seth would never get the closure he wanted. It was so obvious that he missed them, and that he was denying himself the chance to reconnect. They were all reasonable people, surely they could talk it out?

“You should go back to him.” Seth said, rising from the couch. “And maybe don’t mention you were here right away.”

Finn frowned, but stood. He did want to go check on Roman and at least make sure he was still safe. The amount of energy he was expelling could attract the wrong sort of attention. “He wasn’t really interested in talking earlier.”

“I’m sure once he’s calmed down, he’ll change his mind.” Seth led him to the door and patted him gently on the shoulder. “I’ve never seen you happier than the last few months. I don’t want you to lose that because of me.”

Finn couldn’t help but be touched by those words and it only strengthened his resolve to see this situation fully sorted out. They said their goodbyes and Finn found himself walking down the stairs of Seth’s apartment, lost in thought. He did want to check on Roman, but he didn’t want to be overbearing. Perhaps, he should text Dean again and see if he could get an update.

Just as he was considering that, his phone began to ring and quickly answered it, not even checking to see who it was. “Hello?”

“Finn?” Roman’s voice was soft over the phone.

“It’s me, Roman.” Finn said in a rush, relieved to hear his voice.

“Will you come over, please?”

“Absolutely, my love. I’ll be there soon.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Comments are much appreciated!!


End file.
